Changes

The '''Progressive Bag Alliance''' (whose name was later changed to the [[Progressive Bag Affiliates]], or PBA) was founded in 2005. Membership includes the four largest plastic bag manufacturers in America. <ref>Mike Verespej, Plastics News Global Group, PRW.com/Plastics & Rubber Weekly [http://www.prw.com/subscriber/headlines2.html?cat=1&id=1240563356 US Congress to consider bag tax and bottle deposit] April 24, 2009. Last paragraph</ref> Progressive Bag Affiliates use legal threats and lobbying strategies to slow, stop or weaken ordinances banning plastic grocery bags. The group carries out these activities while advocating recycling plastic shopping bags as an alternative to banning the bags.<ref>Kari Huss, MSNBC.com [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23596727/ How plastics industry battles bans on its bags

Lobbying, legal threats turn prohibitions into voluntary recycling drives] March 14, 2008</ref> In March 2008, the Progressive Bag Alliance's Web site started redirecting visitors to [[American Chemistry Council]] Web site, and in early 2008 PBA changed its name to "Progressive Bag Affiliates." Much of the information that used to be available on its former web site, like past newsletters that alerted supporters about municipalities considering bag bans, has disappeared.